Safety release device for mechanisms



Jan. 26, 1954 R. B. GIORGI' SAFETY RELEASE DEVICE FOR MECHANISMS FiledApril 1o,- 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l U .l m M M W m p 4 2 6o 0 HMWM 20wMIN-WW w g a H mm a: v N n L 2 Jan. 26, 1954 GIORG] 2,567,123

SAFETY RELEASE DEVICE FOR MECHANISMS Filed April 10, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Jan. 26, 1954 R. B. GIORGI SAFETY RELEASE DEVICE FOR MECHANISMS FiledApril 10, 1951 3 Sheefs-Sheet :5

r VIIIIYIIYIIIIIQIIIIII Patented Jan. 26, P1954 SAFETY RELEASE DEVICEFOR MECHANISMS Rodolfo B. Giorgi, Ernesto Klein, Federico Unkel, andAlberto J. Giorgi, Buenos Aires, Argentina Application April 10, 1951,Serial No. 220,242

11 Claims. (01. 10265.d)

The present invention which is a continuation-in-part of applicationSerial No. 20,948 filed April 14, 1948, relates to release and safetydevices for mechanisms.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a safetyrelease device for mechanisms including time delay means, whereby undernormal circumstances the mechanism may be held securely in inoperativeposition, and when desired, said device may be actuated to bring themechanism into a set position after a predetermined time interval,whereby said mechanism may thereafter be instantaneously caused tobecome operative.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device or" thetype described which shall comprise a mechanical retaining means for anoperative member and loosely coupled thereto, the assembly when nototherwise blocked being responsive to shocks to instantaneously releasesaid member, and having associated therewith mechanical time delay meansarranged to counteract the shock responsiveness of said detaining means,and means for normally locking said time delay means in counteractingposition.

The novel safety release device of the present invention may be appliedto a variety of mechanisms where a trigger action release of anoperative member is desired to take place in certain eventualities inresponse to shock-like disturbances, as for instance in burglar alarms,but since the novel release device is particularly suitable forfire-arms, and especially for firearms of the hand grenade type, saiddevice will hereinafter be more particularly described as ap plied tohand grenades, but it is not intended thereby to limit the usefulness orapplicability of the safety release device, since, as will be clear tothose skilled in the art, it may readily be applied to other mechanisms.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more clearly apparent in the course of the following detaileddescription of certain. preferred embodiments thereof illustrated by wayof example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a handled type of hand grenadeincorporating the safety release device of the present invention,showing the release device in the locked position.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the grenade of Fig. 1 showing therelease device in fully released position.

Fig. 3 is a detail view partly in section, of the shock responsivecoupling means.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a handleless hand grenade provided withthe safety release device of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the grenade of Fig. A

Fig. 6 is a vertical section along the line VI-VI of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, of aportion of the grenade of Fig. 4., showing the release device in fullyretracted position, and

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section showing the safety release deviceapplied to yet another type of hand grenade.

Considering first Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be observed that the grenadetherein shown is of the type comprising a head casing i having at oneend an end closure 2 and at the other end a handle 3, whereby to graspthe weapon so as to facilitate throwing same. Inside the head casing arepartition means dividing the head casing into a charge chamber 35 and afiring chamber, said partition means consisting of a tubular housing 5extending inwardly of the head i and suitably secured to the end closure2, which tubular housing 5 also projects slightly beyond the end closureon the outside thereof to receive a primer or detonator 26 convenientlyheld in position as by a screw cap 21. Said tubular housing 5 extends tothe neighborhood of the closed bottom 2a of the head i, where saidhousing meets and is connected, as by screwing, to a tubular casing orcylinder i, which extends through hole 21) in said bottom 2a, into thehandle 3, which is made hollow for this purpose. At a point of saidtubular casing i lying within the thickness of the bottom 2a of head i,a circumferential constriction I3 is provided concave on the outside ofthe casing l, to receive the inturned end I ia of a cylindricalprojection i i of relatively small diameter extending axially from athimble 6 of relatively large diameter, between which thimble and theprojection is there is an annular shoulder Mb, between which and theouter face of the bottom 2a a packing (it may be provided. It is to beunderstood that the tubular casing i is fixedly'secured, as by pressfitting, welding, or screwing, to the bottom 264, so that, owing to thepresence of the constriction l3a, said casing will hold the thimble E5in position. The thimble 8 has a lateral hole to for a purpose to bepresently described.

The tubular casing 4 extends slidably through an elongatedbushing 3!provided in the end of handle 3 adjacent the head i, and projects 3therebeyond into a chamber #311. of diameter greater than of saidbushing, the chamber 3a being closed at its end remote from the head I,as by a plug 20 inserted into the axial bore of the handle 3.

Near but not at the extremity of the casing 4 lying within the chamber3a, a plunger ring it is provided which is in sliding engagement withthe inner cylindrical surface 322 defining the chamber 3a, and isconsequently adapted to be engaged and stopped by the annular shoulder32 formed between the bushing 31 and the surface 312 which is of greaterdiameter as already indicated, when relative movement occurs between theplunger ring and the handle as will hereinafter be explained. Theextremity of the tubular casing t which lies within the chamber 3a isclosed by a cover member I? suitably secured thereto as by screwing, andprovided with lateral perforations [9, whereby restricted communicationis established between the interior of the cylinder or casing 4 hereshown as the interior room a, and the circumambient medium, which inthis embodiment is represented by a lower portion b of the chamber 3a.

Returning now to the tubular housing 5, it will be observed that it isprovided with a wall on floor 5a defining in the firing chamber a primerchamber in which detonator 25 is located and serving as a seat for oneend of a compression spring 25 the other end of which abuts against ahead 24 of an actuating member, here shown as a firing pin 23, includinga stem 23a the end of which remote from head 24 has a peripheral groove35, said head being located on the same side of the floor or wall 5a assaid primer or detonator 26, and said stem passing freely through saidwall or fioor 5a.

In the normal or safety position of the parts. said firing pin isadapted to be retained in retracted position, in which the grooved endthereof extends beyond the fioor 5a through a perforation 5?), byreleasable means comprising a generally circular resilient member 31, asseen also in Fig. 3, which is adapted for radial compression andexpansion. In the expanded con dition of resilient member 31, it definesan aperture which will readily allow the grooved end of pin 23 to passtherethrough, so that normally said resilient member is held in radiallycompressed condition by a retaining cap 2| having an end recess 22adapted to receive the grooved end of pin 23 and said resilient member31. The mouth of the recess 22 is so formed that when said retaining capis in position, the frictional engagement and the spring pressure of theresilient member 37, with respect both to said retaining cap 2| and thegrooved end of pin 23, is just sufiicient to retain said retaining cap2| in position over said resilient member, unless subjected to adisassembling or releasing force of a desired and predeterminedintensity, say of the order of 100 grams. Hence, even with the retainingcap [freely suspended as just described, from the grooved end of thefiring pin 23, the grenade will not be exploded until the requisitereleasing force or shock is applied, because the firing pin 23 will beheld in retracted position as regards the detonator 26 which willtherefore not detonate any charge provided within interior or chargechamber 35 of the head I. It should be noted that the releasing forcemay be applied to the retaining cap 2 I in any direction.

For normal handling, storage and the like, of the grenade, saidretaining cap 2| is adapted to- 4 be held positively and securely inretaining position by a retractable time delay means, which in turn isadapted to be held locked in inoperative position.

The time delay means comprises a plunger means l6 slidably located intubular casing 4, between the constriction l3 and the cover ll thereof,the tubular casing 4 acting as a cylinder for said plunger. Said plungerit has secured to it, as by a screw Iii, a hollow elongated sustainingmember [0 having, at a point intermediate its ends, an external annularflange l2, between which and the convex side of the constriction l3 acompression spring H is provided whereby said sustaining member and theplunger secured thereto are urged towards the perforate end, in thisembodiment the end cover ll, of the tubular casing or cylinder 4.

The end of the sustaining member remote from the plunger I6 is closedand has an axial hole 8a of smaller diameter than the axial bore 3?) ofsaid hollow sustaining member 8, through which hole 8a projectscoaxially with the sustaining member the shank of a delaying member suchas the pin 9, telescopically associated with the sustaining member, andhaving a head to located within the bore 8b, so that the delaying pincannot be withdrawn from the sustaining member from the closed end ofthe latter. The delaying pin is urged to fully projecting positiontowards said cap member 2! by a compression spring l5 located in thebore 82) of the sustaining member 8, one end of said spring abuttingagainst the head 9a and the other end thereof abutting against theplunger E6, or, as shown against a stop associated therewith, forexample the inner end of screw I 9. The plunger I6 is normally held inretracted position as regards the end cover I? by a filling C' of afiowable material, such as a fluid, semi-liquid granular or pulverulentsubstance, preferably a substance of substantiallyconstant viscosityunder all conditions likely to be met in practice. Preferably suchsubstance is a silicone, which has been found to give highlysatisfactory results. How this substance operates will be hereinafterexplained.

The handle which, by reason of the bushing 3 l is slidably mounted onthe tubular casing 4, is adapted to be normally locked in safetyposition by suitable locking means, which while they form an essentialcomponent of the safety release device of the present invention, willvary in design in accordance with the requirements of the particulartype of-mechanism. to which said safety release mechanism is to beapplied. Examples of some of the variations will be given hereinbelow,but in connection with the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, thelocking means conveniently takes the form of a push button 28 which ishollow and open at one end, and around which there is an external fiange28a, adapted to be held normally in abutting engagement with a lip 1adefining a hole 712 in the side wall of a ferrule 1 fitted over the endof the handle nearer to the head I and permanently secured to said end,as by being spun over at the open end of the ferrule as indicated at ic.The hole lb of ferrule l registers with a recess or perforation 29extending laterally into the ferruled end of the handle 3 and providinga chamber in which a spring 30 is housed to hold said button 23 in saidabutting relationship.

In the locked, safety position of the parts, the push button 28 isadapted to project through the lateral hole 6a of thimble 6, therebyholding the handle 3 in close-up, contracted relationship to the head IIn this position of the handle 3, the free closed end of the sustainingmember 8 is firmly held in engagement with the retaining member 2!,against the action of spring H by reason of the fact that the room adefined between the plunger i5 and the end cover I! is filled with saidfiowable material C which is prevented by check means from escapingthrough the perforate end of the cylinder or casing 4, that is to say,in this embodiment, through the holes 59. As shown in the drawings, inthis embodiment the check means consists in that the portion b of thechamber 3a lying between the plunger ring 18 and the plug andsurrounding the end cover l? is likewise filled with the same kind ofmaterial, as indicated at C.

It will be recalled that the handle 3 is slidable on the tubular housing4%, to be retracted from the head i to an extent determined by theposition on the tubular housing, of the plunger ring l8. Hence, in thecontracted position of the handle there will be a free space between theshoulder 32 of chamber 3a and said plunger ring to permit retractingmovement of the handle when unlocked, whereby the portion b of chamber3a will gain in volume at the expense of the annular space between saidplunger ring and shoulder 32, to thereby permit the material C containedin the room a to escape through the holes 19 into portion b, under thethrust communicated to plunger it by the spring H, which, in theunlocked position of the parts, will be free to expand.

l/Vhile the parts are still in locked position, the pin 9 will have itsfree end in engagement with the retaining member 2!, which, to this end,is conveniently recessed as indicated at Zia, and the arrangement of theparts is such that, in said locked position thereof, the pin 9 is pushedback somewhat into the bore 8b, so that the spring i5 is compressed.

Thus it will be understood that in the locked position of the parts asillustrated in Fig. 1, the firing pin 23 is positively held in retractedposition with respect to detonator 2t, and cannot be released even byshock, until the retaining member is at least free to drop oii thegrooved end or" said firing pin.

To free said retaining member and thereby put the grenade in a conditionto be instantaneously detonated on being subjected to shock or impact,the handle is first unlocked by depressing the push-button 28 and givingthe handle a slight turn in either direction, to bring an imperforatepart of the thimble 6 opposite said button 28 to lock same in depressedposition. It is then possible to cause the handle 3 to be retracted fromthe head I, either under the action of centrifugal force, as whenthrowing the grenade, or by pulling on the handle, or even by leavingthe handle to be slowly pushed to retracted position by the thrust ofthe expanding spring H, the action of which is essentially the same inany case, so that one description thereof is deemed sufficient.

When the handle 3 has been unlocked as just described, spring ii canmake its stored energy felt by exerting a live thrust upon the annularflange 52 to urge the sustaining member 8 and the plunger it away fromthe head I. The retraction of the sustaining member 8 and the plungeri6, is however opposed by the material C filling the room a, which asalready indicated, cannot, in the locked position of the handle, escapethrough the holes 19 owing to the fact that, in those circumstances, thevolume of portion I) of chamber 3a is positively restricted and is alsofull of the same kind of material C. When, however, the handle isunlocked, the handle may slide along the tubular housing 4, to therebyincrease the volume of portion b thus allowing material C from room a toescape through holes I!) into said portion 1), at a rate depending onthe viscosity of the material and on the size of the holes, and, owingto the emptying of said room a, the plunger it may move towards the endcover to take up, as it were, the place previously occupied by thefilling C of flowable material inside the room a. The retractingmovement of the sustaining member ii is assisted by the expansion ofspring it, which, so long as the head So of delaying pin 9 is out ofengagement with the internal shoulder formed between the bore 8b and thesmaller bore 841, will maintain the free end of said delaying pin inengagement with the retaining member 2i. The arrangement of the parts issuch that said engagement of the head 8a and shoulder 80 does not takeplace until the spring l l is fully expanded as indicated in Fig. 2, andthe amount of time which elapses between unlocking of the handle 3 andfull expansion of spring II, will depend principally upon the rate ofoutflow of the iiowable material C through the holes l9. Thus, bysuitable choice of such ma terial, any desired time delay may beprovided for between unlocking of the handle and the arrival of theparts at a position in which the grenade is set for detonationinstantaneously by impact or shock. This set position is shown in Fig. 2from which it will be seen that the retaining member 2! is still inposition to hold the resilient member 3'! in the groove of the firingpin 23, and thereby hold the firing pin in retracted position withrespect to the detonator 26. However, the connection between theretaining member 2! and the firing pin 23 is, as has already beenexplained, so precarious as to be instantaneously broken if the head Ior the grenade as a whole is subjected to a shock, as upon impact of thegrenade against an object at any angle, or upon the application theretoof a blow or kick. By properly choosing and designing the shape of therecess 22 with respect to the strength and design of the resilientmember 3!, the sensitivity of the retaining member may be adjusted to apredetermined lower limit, such for example as grams, or may even beadjusted for certain purposes in such a manner that the re tainingmember will drop off the firing pin 23 as soon as the delaying pin 9 hasbeen suiiiciently retracted.

The purpose of the delaying pin 9 is to provide sufiicient time for theplunger t5 and the sustaining member 8 to reach almost fully retractedposition, before the retaining member ii is liberated to respond toshock, and it also provides an additional element in the combinationwhereby the timing of the safety release mechanism may be preadjusted toa desired. value.

As will be understood from the foregoing description of one embodimentof the novel safety release mechanism of the present invention, whenapplied to arms such as hand grenades, it has the great advantage that,with the elimination of a time match, which, unless something is not inorder with the detonator or the charge of the grenade, will at the endof a predetermined time interval, inevitably cause the grenade toexplode, irrespective of circumstances, and will not cause explosionuntil the expiry of such time interval, the present mechanism providesnot only instantaneous explosion of the grenade upon impact or shock,but also the greatest measure of safety to the user and a considerableflexibility in design. Thus, so long as the handle is in the lockedposition, as in the case of other types of grenade provided withsafetypin or safety catch, the grenade cannot explode. If the handle isunlocked, the grenade will not explode until the sustaining member anddelay mechanism have operated to free the retaining member, and eventhen the grenade may be handled gently without provoking explosion.Thus, it may be laid upon the ground, where it will be perfectlyinnocuous for an indefinite time until given a shock. Hence, if for somereason a user, after unlocking the mechanism, does not throw thegrenade, or throws it short, neither he norhis companions, if any, needrush to cover. All that is required is that he and they withdraw to areasonable, safe distance depending on the rating of the grenade, andthen explode same,-either by firing a bullet at the grenade, or even bythrowing a stone or other missile at it. Moreover this property of thenovel safety release mechanism of the present invention, makes itpossible to utilize -a hand grenade or the like fitted therewith, as aland-mine, booby-trap or the like personal attack, since all that isneeded is to unlock the mechanism and, if necessary, move such parts asmay require it, into the set position, for the grenade to be ready tobe, as it were, touched off, at the slightest shock above the ratedminimum, as by being kicked by advancing enemy troops. Aside from this,the advantages of an impact grenade over a time match type will beobvious to those skilled in the art of warfare, and furthermore, theelimination of the time match makes the safety release device applicableto other than bellicose purposes, as already indicated.

Again, as pointed out hereinabove, the safety release mechanism isadaptable as to its precise design and construction so as to allow it tobe combined with different types of objects to be governed thereby. Asinstances of such modifications, the application thereof to twoother'types of hand grenade have been illustrated in the drawings.

In Figs. 4, and 6, there is shown a handleless type of hand grenadecomprising a hollow body member IIiI having a closed end II) Ia fromwhich extends inwardly of the body member IIlI a tubular housing IE5which, as in the caseof Fig. 1, receives a detonator I26 held inposition by a screw cap I27. The other end of the body member ItI isclosed by a closure member I02 in the bottom IGZa of which is securedthe safety release mechanism of the present invention. As best seen inFig. 6, said mechanism again comprises a retaining member I 2| holdingresilient member it? position in groove I38 of firing pin I23 betweenthe head I24 of which and the floor idfib of the tubular housing I05 islocated the firing spring I25.

Said tubular housing I95 is secured, as by screwing, to the tubularcasing I 04 which in general is similar to the casing'4 of Figs. 1 to 3.As seen in Fig. 6, however, the casing I 04 has, intermediate its ends,an external flange I84a on the side of which, remote from the housingI05, said casing m4 is externally screw-threaded, as at Ill-4b toreceive a clamping ring I40 having a hexagonal shoulder I40a betweenwhich and the flange IMa the internal margin I020 defining a centralhole 'I02b inthe bottom I02a.:of the end closure ItLmay be gripped tosecure the casing I84 tosaid end closure and hence to the body ofthehand grenade. If desired, packing I36 may be inserted between theclamping ring I40 and the inner margin .I02c as shown. At a point insidethe casing I04 lying within the enclosure of the hand grenade proper,that is the assembly of the body portion WI and the end closure I02, isa transverse bridge member or disc II2, which is centrally perforated topermit the sustaining member N58 to pass slidingly therethrough, so thatsaid bridge member II2 functions much as the flange I 2 in theembodiment of Fig. l, to guide the sustaining member when moving and tosupport it centrally of the casing I04. Likewise inside the casing I04and on the side of the bridge member II'Z remote from the retainingmember iii, and spaced an appreciable distance from the bridge memberH2, is a centrally perforated plug I4I, the bore I42 of which issomewhat larger in diameter than the sustaining member I08. Mounted onthat portion of the sustaining member Hill which lies within thespacedefined between the bridge member I I2 and the plug MI, is aplunger member H6, between which and said bridge member I I2 is acompression spring III tending to'urge toward the plug I lI the plungerH6 and hence the portion of the sustaining member m8 on the side of theplunger member II-ii remote from bridge member I I2, which portion actsas a check rod. Between the plunger .5 and the plug I4! is a charge offlowable material C, the space thus filled corresponding functionally tothe room a of Fig. 1, but being distinguished in Fig. 6 as variablespace (1.

The casing I04 extends beyond the screw ring 54% to receive as a slidingfit an end cover I20 which is appreciably longer axially than theprojection of easing IE4, and has fitted within it for free sliding aclosure member I43 which, in the assembled condition of the parts,defines with the plug I4! a space which is functionally the equivalentof the restricted space or portion b shown in Fig. 1 and contains afilling C of flowable material. Between the closure member I43 and theclosed end I44 of the end cover I20 is located a compression spring I4 5of strength greater than that of spring III. The end cover I2II isadapted to be held in place by a U-shape or stirrup-like clip I46 havinga pair of legs pivoted to the screw ring I40 and including .a cross barI46a adapted to engage a diametral depression I44a of the closed end I44of cover I20, as clearly seen in Fig. 6.

:As in the example of Figs. 1 to 3, thesustaining member I03 is hollowto receive delaying pin I09 with its head Wild, and the compressionspring H5. It will thus be clear that with the end .cover I20 inposition, the spaces d and e are full of fiowable material C, C, held incheck, as it were, by the more powerful spring I45 against the thrust ofspring ,I I I, so that plunger H5 is immobilized, so long as clip I46 isin cover holding position. When the clip I45 is swung to the cover freeposition as indicated in Fig. 4 in broken lines, the spring I45 becomeseffective to cause the end cover I20 to leave the projecting portion ofthe sustaining member I08, thereby allowing the material C previouslycontained in space e to disperse, and also permitting material C fromspace d to discharge through the clearance between thecheck rod portionand the margin defining the bore 142, at a rate depending on theviscosity or flow characteristics of the material and the strength ofspring I I l. The plunger l [6' moves under the thrust of spring Hi totake up the space left available by the discharge of the material C fromspace d, as before, and carries with it the sustaining member "38, withthe same functional results as regards the retaining member and delayingpin, as in the case of Figs. 1 to 3.

In Fig. 8 is shown a further application of the safety release device ofthe present invention, to an egg-shape grenade having a shell 26!, 202of standard pattern into which is fitted in a central axial position acasing and housing assembly 294, 295 comprising the detonator 226, screwcap 221, firing pin 223, with head 22% and firing spring 225, and theretaining assembly including the retaining member 22! and resilientmember 231 fitting into the groove 233 of the firing pin. The casing 2%also accommodates the sustaining assembly comprising a sustaining member288 which is similar to the sustaining member we of Fig. 6 and includesa plunger member 2H3 fixed externally thereon, between which and atransverse bridge or disc member 2l2 secured peripherally to the casingis located a compression spring 2| 6, and between which and a plugmember 244 is contained a quantity of fiowable material C. The plug M!has a bore 262 which is slightly larger in diameter than the check rodportion of the sustaining member 298, which member, however, has at theend remote from the retaining member 22L an enlargement 247 which has anaccurate sliding fit in said bore 2A2, and beyond which the sustainingmember has a head 2 38, which is held in close engagement with the outerside of the plug 2:31, by a U-shape portion 24% forming part of a checklever 25!! and comprising a yoke member 2 39a, a free leg 29bterminating in a catch lip 253, and a second leg from which an extensionor tail 2490 extends to form a shoulder of suiiicient width to fitbetween a pair of ears 252 upstanding from the outside of the shell ofthe grenade, and located at a point diametrically opposite a catchmember such as a bridge-like member 254 projecting also from the shellof the grenade. The extension 2490 lies closely adjacent the outside ofthe shell of the grenade and the yoke member 24911 is designed to engagesaid enlargement 211 when the catch lip 253 is engaged with said bridgemember 254 and said shoulder 2 590 is between the ears 252. To retainthe check lever 25:: in the position just described, a releasablelocking pin 25% is provided of a size to pass through alinedperforations in said ears 252 and having a ring 255 for facilitatingmanual withdrawal of the pin 255 from ears 252, as in the case ofstandard safety pins of similarly shaped grenades. Between the outersurface of the plug it! and the floor 249a of the U- shape portion 2 :9is a spring 25! whereby, after the safety pin 2% has been withdrawn, theU- shape portion M9 is assisted to disengage itself from the free end ofthe tubular casing 25m, to free the lever 259, so that under thecombined thrust of springs 2i i, 2 l 5 and 2 5?, the check lever 256 asa whole swings about the bridge 25% until it reaches an angular positionin which the lip 253 can disengage itself from the bridge 254, to allowsaid assembly to drop off the shell of the grenade. Obviously, ifdesired, as when laying land mines or setting booby-traps, the checklever assembly may, after withdrawal of the safety pin 255, be removedby hand, since this can be done with perfect safety, because the plunger256 and the moving parts associated therewith are still in theirretaining means sustaining posi- 10. tion, thus holding the firing pin223 in retracted position.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the novelsafety release mechanism of the present invention, not only provides amaximum of safety and a device which when in released position isresponsive to shock or impact, in contradistinction to a time match, butalso provides a device which can readily be designed to be fitted to alarge variety of mechanisms or devices, including a large variety ofexplosive missiles, such as hand grenades, shells, bombs and the like,and can also be combined, if desired, with a time match actuateddetonator, for although in the foregoing description, the firing hasbeen described as alined with a detonator directly, as a preferredembodiment giving impact response, it is obvious that such firing pinmay be alined with a primer cap adapted to ignite a match. Innon-explosive applications, the firing pin or equivalent member might bealined, for instance with an electrical device of the push-button typeconnected in a remote control circuit or the like, or such pin or membermight be directed to a gas container, containing, for instance, teargas. Numerous other applications will readily occur to those skilled inthe art, practically all of which would involve no more than design ordetail modifications such as would lie well within the capacity ofskilled persons.

We claim:

1. A safety device for mechanisms which comprises a wall, an actuatingmember movable relatively to said wall and releasable means for holdingsaid actuating member in non-operative position, said actuating memberincluding operative means located on one side of said wall and a stempassing freely through said wall and having a free end and a peripheralgroove adjacent said free end, said releasable means including anannular resilient radially compressible member normally defining acentral aperture of diameter greater than that of the portion of saidstem between said groove and said free end, a retaining cap having arecess at one end of a size to receive said resilient annular member inradially compressed condition, said cap and said annular member beingmounted on said free end of the stem, said annular member grippinglyengaging said groove and said one end of said cap engaging the otherside of said wall to retain said actuating member in retracted position,the resiliency of said annular member and the friction between saidannular member and said cap and. said groove being sufficient to holdthe cap in assembled condition on said stem against disassembling forcesless than a predetermined minimum, retractable time delay means forpositively holding said retaining cap in operative position on saidstem, said time delay means comprising a cylinder fixedly located on thesame side of said wall as said cap member, and having a perforate endremote from said wall, said perforate end communicating the interior ofsaid cylinder with the ciroumambient medium, plunger means reciprocablymounted in said cylinder, said plunger means having a sustaining memberprojecting coaxially therefrom towards said cap member, resilient meansnormally urging said plunger means towards said perforate end, adelaying member telescopically associated with said sustaining memberand extending coaxially therewith towards said cap member, resilientmeans normally urging said delaying member towards said cap member, acharge of fiovvable material said cylinder between said plunger and saidperforate end, said charge acting to deter advanceof said plunger meansto said perforate end at a rate depending on the dimensions of theperforations in said end, check means for preventing the outflow of saidfiowable material from the interior of the cylinder to the circumambientmedium and manually releasable locking means normally maintaining saidcheck means in operative position.

2. A safety device for firing mechanisms for firing explosive charges,said mechanisms comprising a wall, primer means on one side of saidwall, a firing pin movable relatively to said wall and to said primermeans, and releasable means for holding said firing pin in retractedposition from said primer means, said firing pin including a headlocated on the same side of said wall as said primer means, and a stempassing freely through said wall and having a free end and a peripheralgroove ad acent said free end, said releasable means including anannular resilient radially compressible member normally defining acentral aperture of diameter greater than that of the portion of saidstem between said groove and said free end, a retaining cap having arecess at one end of a size to receive said annular resilient member inradially compressed condition, said cap' and said annular member beingmounted on said free end of the stem, said annular resilient membergrippingly engaging said groove, and said one end of said cap en agingthe side of the wall remote from said primer means to retain said firingp n in retracted position. the resiliency of said annular member and thefriction between said annular me ber and said groove and said can eingsufficient to hold sa d cap in assem ed condition on said ste n again tdisassembling for es ess than a predetermined minimum, retra ta e t e deay me ns f r posit vely holding said reta ning can in o erative positionon said ste n. said ime le av means comprisin a cylinder coa al withsaid firing pin and fixed y lo ated on the si e of a d wa l remote fromsaid primer means. and havin a perforate end re ote from said wa l. saidperforate end establish n communi ation between the interior of saidcylinder and the c rcuma h ent med um. p un er me ns mounted on sa d cynder for movement a ial y ther f. sa d n er me ns h in a sustain nmember ioroiect ng axia ly therefrom towards said r tain n can. resi enteans nor ally orging sai l unger to ds said erforate end of id rev i elc q, de aviriq' me ber te esnnnirallly guflfliqfhefl with aid su ta n ngmember and 8" ten ioq no vi l v t e ewith t ards sa d cap me er. r s entme ns nor l y ur ing said de- 19 vin w o hqvhome we]; aid nor mg nhep a,charge nwolol mater al in aid vlinder between said 11 o'o-r mpaflq andsaid nerinra.te'end Said'nharge acting to deter advance of said plungermeans to a ds said erforate end at a rate depending on the ize of theperforations in said end and the vi cos ty of said fi able material,check means for prevent ng outflow of said fiowable material throughsaid perforate end into the circumambient medium and releasable lockingmeans normally maintaining said check means in operative position.

3. A safety device for firing mechanisms for firing explosive charges,said mechanisms comprising a conta ner, partition means in saidcontainer, dividing the container internally into a charge chamber and afiring chamber, a perforate wall in said firing chamhilf' lqfining aprimer chamber, a firing pin movable relatively to said wall andreleasable means for holding said firing pin in a ready position, saidfiring pin including a head on the same side of said wall as said primerchamber and a stem passing freely through said wall and having a freeend and a peripheral groove adjacent said free end, said releasablemeans including an annular resilient radially compressible membernormally defining a central aperture of diameter greater than that ofthe portion of said stem between said groove and said free end, aretaining cap having a recess at one end of a size to receive saidannular resilient member in radially compressed condition, said cap andsaid annular member being mounted on said free end of the stem, saidannular resilient member grippingly engaging said groove and said oneend of said cap engaging the side of the wall remote from said primerchamber to retain said firing pin in retracted position, the resiliencyof said annular member and the friction between said annular member andsaid groove and said cap being sufficient to hold said cap in assembledcondition on said stem against disassembling forces less than apredetermined minimum, retractable time delay means for positivelyholding said retaining cap in operative position on said stem, said timedelay means comprising a cylinder coaxial with said firing pin andfixedly located on the side of said Wall remote from said primer chamberand having an inner end adjacent said wall and a perforate end remotefrom said wall, a hollow handle surrounding said cylinder and having acavity therewithin of diameter greater than that of the cylinder andcoaxial with said cylinder, said handle having a shouldered inner enddefining a bore for sliding engagement with said cylinder, and a closedouter end defining a floor of said cavity in relatively closely spacedrelationship with said perforate end of said cylinder, stop means on theoutside of said cylinder intermediate the ends thereof for engaging saidshouldered end of said handle on displacement of said handle relativelyto said cylinder, said perforate end establishing communication betweenthe interior of said cylinder and said cavity, plunger means mounted onsaid cylinder for movement axially therein, said plunger means having asustaining member projecting axially therefrom towards said retainingcap, resilient means normally urging said plunger means towards saidperforate end of said cylinder, a delaying member telescopicallyassociated with said sustaining member and extending coaxially therewithtowards said cap member, resilient means normally urging said delayingmember towards said cap member, a charge of fiowable material in saidcylinder between said plunger means and said perforate end, said chargeacting to deter advance of said plunger means towards said perforate endat a rate depending on the size of the perforations and the viscosity ofsaid fiowable material, a filling of fiowable material in said hollowhandle between said stop means and said floor, and releasable lockingmeans for normally holding said handle in retracted position with saidshouldered end remote from said stop means whereby said filling preventsoutflow of said charge until said locking means is released and saidshouldered end is engaged with said stop means.

4. A safety device for firing mechanisms for firing explosive charges,said mechanism comprising a container, partition means in said con 13tainer dividing the container internally into a charge chamber and afiring chamber, a perforate Wall in said firing chamber defining aprimer chamber, a firing pin movable relatively to said wall andreleasable means for holding said firing pin in a ready position, saidfiring pin including a head on the same side of said wall as said primerchamber and a stern passing freely through said wall and having a freeend and a peripheral groove adjacent said free end, said releasablemeans including an annular resilient radially compressible membernormally defining a central aperture of diameter greater than that ofthe portion of said stem between said groove and said free end, aretaining cap having a recess at one end of a size to receive saidannular resilient member in radially compressed condition, said cap andsaid annular member being mounted on said free end of the stem, saidannular resilient member grippingly engaging said groove and said oneend of said cap engaging the side of the wall remote from said primerchamber to retain said firing pin in retracted position, the resiliencyof said annular member and the friction between said annular member andsaid groove and said cap being sufficient to hold said cap in assembledcondition on said stem against disassembling forces less than apredetermined minimum, retractable time delay means for positivelyholding said retaining cap in operative position on said stern, saidtime delay means comprising a cylinder coaxial with said firing pin andfixedly located on the side of said wall remote from said chamber andhaving an inner end adjacent said wall and an open outer end lyingoutside said container, a perforate partition in said cylinder adjacentsaid outer end, said partition defining a single central perforation,plunger means mounted in said cylinder for movement axially thereinbetween said inner end and said partition, a sustaining memberprojecting axially from said plunger means towards said retaining cap, achest: rod projecting axially from said plunger means on the sidethereof remote from the sustaining member, said check rod passing freelythrough said central perforation, spring means normally urging saidplunger means towards said partition, a delaying member telescopicallyassociated with said sustaining means and extending coaxially therewithtowards said cap member, resilient means normally urging said delayingmember towards said retaining cap, a closure member fitted in saidcylinder in spaced relation to said partition and on the side thereofremote from said plunger and arranged to slide freely in said cylinder,an end closure cap fitted over said outer end, a compression springlocated in said outer end between said end closure cap and said closuremember, releasable locking means for normally locking said end closurecap in closing position, said locking means comprising a U shape memberhaving a cross bar and a pair of legs extending from opposite ends ofcross bar and having free ends pivoted to support on the outside ofcontainer, said cross bar normally overlying said end closure cap, acharge of flowable material in said cylinder between said plunger meansand said partition, said charge acting to deter advance of said plungermeans towards said partition at a rate depending on the viscosity ofsaid fiowable material and the difference in diameter between saidperforation and said check rod, and a filling of flowable ma terialbetween said partition and said closure 1 T. member, whereby saidfilling prevents outflow of said charge through said perforation untilsaid U shape member is moved to release said end closure cap.

5. A safety device for firing mechanisms for firing explosive charges,said mechanism comprising a container, partition means in saidcontainer, dividing the container internally into a charge chamber and afiring chamber, a perforate wall in said firing chamber defining aprimer chamber, a firing pin movable relatively to said wall, andreleasable means for holding said firing pin in a ready position, saidfiring pin including a head on the same side of said wall as said primerchamber and a stern passing freely through said wall and having a freeend and a peripheral groove adjacent free end, said releasable meansincluding an annular resilient radially compressible member normallydefining a central aperture of diameter greater than that of the portionof said stern between said groove and said free end, a retaining caphaving a recess at one end or" a size to receive said annular resilientmember in radially compressed condition, said cap and said annularmember being mounted on said free end of the stem, said annularresilient member grippingly engaging said groove and said one end ofsaid cap engaging the side of the wall remote from said primer chamberto retain firing pin in retracted position, the resiliency of saidannular member and the friction between said annular member and saidgroove and said cap being suificient to hold said cap in assembledcondition on said stem against disassembling forces less than apredetermined minimum, retractable time delay means for positivelyholding said retaining cap in operative position on said stem, said timedelay means comprising a cylinder coaxial wish said firing pin andfixedly located on the side of said wall remote from said primer chamberand having an inner end adjacent said wall and a perforate outer endlocated outside said container and defining a single centralperforation, plunger means mounted in said cylinder for movement axiallytherein between said inner end and said partition, a sustaining memberprojec ing axially from said plunger means towards said retaining cap, acheck rod projecting axially from said plunger means on the side thereofremote from the sustaining member, said check rod passing freely throughsaid central perm-ration, an enlargement on said check rod outside saidouter end, said enlargement being of a size to close said centralperforation, catch means located on the outside of said containeradjacent said outer end of the cylinder, a pail of spaced ears havingalined perforations, said ears being located on the outside of saidcontainer at a point diametrically opposite said catch means withrespect to said cylinder, a ohecl: lever ineluding a substantially Ushape portion comprising a yoke member, a free leg terminating in acatch lip for engagement with said catch means, and a second leg, anextension exten ng from said second leg and forming a shoulder adjacentsaid second leg of width to fit between said ears freely, said extensionbeing shaped to lie closely adjacent the outside of said container andsaid yoke member being proportioned to engage said enlargement when saidcatch lip is engaged in said catch means and said shoulder is loeaterbetween said ears, a releasable locking pin of a size to pass throughsaid alined perforations to overlie said shoulder and releasably locksaid check lever in checking position, spring means normally locatedbetween said perforate end and said yoke member, a charge of fiowablematerial in said cylinder between said plunger means and said perforateend, said charge acting to deter ad- Vance of said plunger means towardssaid perforate end at a rate depending on the viscosity of said fiowablematerial and the difference in diameter between said central perforationand said check rod, upon withdrawal of said locking pin to release saidcheck lever.

6. A safety device for firing mechanisms for firing explosive charges,said mechanism comprising a container, partition means in saidcontainer, dividing the container internaly into a charge chamber and afiring chamber, a perforate wall in said firing chamber defining aprimer chamber, a firing pin movable relatively to said wall, andreleasable means for holding said firing pin in a ready position, saidfiring pin includinga head on the same side of said wall as said primerchamber and a stem passing freely through said wall and having a freeend and a peripheral groove adjacent said free end, said releasablemeans including an annular resilient radially compressible membernormally defining a central aperture of diameter greater than that ofthe portion of said stem between said groove and said free end, aretaining cap having a recess at one end of a size to receive saidannular resilient member in radially compressed condition, said cap andsaid annular member being mounted on said free end of the stem, saidannular resilient member grippingly engaging said groove and said oneend of said cap engaging the side of the wall remote from said primerchamber to retain said firing pin in retracted position, the resiliencyof said annular member and the friction between said annular member andsaid groove and said cap being sufiicient to hold said cap in assembledcondition on said stem against disassembling forces less than apredetermined minimum, retractable time delay means for positivelyholding said retaining cap in operative position on said stem, said timedelay means comprising a cylinder coaxial with said firing pin andfixedly located on the side of said wall remote from said primer chamberand having an inner end adacent said wall and a perforate outer endlocated outside said 0011- tainer and defining a single centralperforation, plunger means mounted in said cylinder for movement axiallytherein between said inner end and said partition, a sustaining memberprojecting axially from said plunger means toward said retaining cap, acheck rod projecting axially from said plunger means on the side thereofremote from the sustaining member, said check rod passing freely throughsaid central perforation, an enlargement on said check rod outside saidouter end, said enlargement being of a size to close said centralperforation, check means for normally holding said enlargement inclosing position, manually releasable locking means for locking saidcheck means in normal operative position, spring means normally locatedbetween said perforate end and said check means, a charge of fiowablematerial in said cylinder between said plunger means and said perforateend, said charge acting to deter advance of said plunger means towardssaid perforate end at a rate depending on the viscosity of said fiowablematerial and the difference in diameter between said central perforationand said check rod upon 1'6 withdrawal of said locking pin to releasesaid check lever.

7. A safety device for hand grenades having a casing, a firing pin insaid casing and a hollow handle movable with respect to the casing, saiddevice comprising a tubular member slidably arranged in the hollowhandle and having a closed end, a plunger slidably movable in saidtubular member between two end positions and defining a first chamberwith said closed end of said tubular member, said first chamber having asmall hole arranged in the wall of said closed end of said tubularmember, a second chamber arranged in the handle and communicating withsaid first chamber through said hole, the relative size of said chambersdepending on the positions of said tubular member in the handle and saidplunger in said tubular member, a substance consisting of smallparticles and arranged in said chambers and adapted to retard the changeof the relative size of said chambers in response to the flow of saidsubstance through said hole, a protective member for the firing pin, arecess in said protective member for engagement with said plunger in oneof its end positions, a cavity in said protective member, a triggerconnected, to the firing pin and having a slot, and an expansion Washeradapted to hold said slot of said trigger when said washer is confinedin said cavity of said protective member.

8. A safety device for hand grenades having a casing, a firing pin insaid casing, and a hollowhandle movable with respect to the casing, saiddevice comprising a tubular member slidably arranged in the hollowhandle and having a closed end, a plunger slidably movable in saidtubular member between two end positions and defining a first chamberwith said closed end of said tubular member, said first chamber having asmall hole arranged in the wall of said closed. end of said tubularmember, a second chamber arranged in the handle and communicating withsaid first chamber through said hole, the relative size of said chambersdepending on the positions of said tubular member in the handle and saidplunger in said tubular member, a substance consisting of smallparticles and arranged in said chambers and adapted to retard the changeof the relative size of said chambers in response to the flow of saidsubstance through said hole, a spring-loaded bolt arranged fordisplacement in the end of said plunger turned away from said firstchamber, a protective member for the firing pin, and a recess in saidprotective member for engagement with said bolt in one of the endpositions of said plunger.

9. A safety device for hand grenades having a casing, a firing pin insaid casing, and a hollow handle movable with respect to the casing,said device comprising a tubular member slit.- ably arranged in thehollow handle and having a closed end, a plunger slidably movable insaid tubular member between two end positions and defining a firstchamber with said closed end of said tubular member, said first chamberhaving a small hole arranged in the wall of said closed end of saidtubular member, a second chamber arranged in the handle andcommunieating with said first chamber through said hole, the relativesize of said chambers depcnding on the positions of said tubular memberin the handle and said plunger in said tubular member, a substanceconsisting of small particles and arranged in said chambers and adaptedto retard the change of the relative size of said 17 chambers inresponse to the flow of said substance through said hole, aspring-loaded bolt arranged for displacement in the end of said plungerturned away from said first chamber, a protective member for the firingpin, a recess in said protective member for engagement with said bolt inone of the end positions of said plunger, a cavity in said protectivemember, a trigger connected to the firing pin and having a slot, and anexpansion washer adapted to hold said slot of said trigger when saidwasher is confined in said cavity of said protective member.

10. A safety device for hand grenades having a casing, a firing pin insaid casing and a hollow handle movable with respect to the casing, saiddevice comprising a tubular member slidably arranged in the hollowhandle and having a closed end, a stop on the inner side of the handle,a gasket arranged at the outer surface of said tubular member andadapted to abut against said stop, a plunger slidably movable in saidtubular member between two end positions and defining a first chamberwith said closed end of said tubular member, said first chamber having asmall hole arranged in the wall of said closed end of said tubularmember, a second chamber arranged in the handle and communicating withsaid first chamber through said hole, said second chamber being limitedby said gasket and said closed end of said tubular member, the relativesize of said chambers depending on the positions of said tubular memberin the handle and said plunger in said tubular member, a substanceconsisting of small particles and arranged in said chambers and adaptedto retard the change of the relative size of said chambers in responseto the flow of said substance through said hole, a spring-loaded boltarranged for displacement in the end of said plunger turned away fromsaid first chamber, a protective member for the firing pin, a recess insaid protective member for engagement with said bolt in one of the endpositions of said plunger, a cavity in said protective member, a triggerconnected to the firing pin and having a slot, and an expansion washeradapted to hold said slot of said trigger when said washer is confinedin said cavity of said protective member.

11. A safety device for hand grenades having a casing, a firing pin insaid casing and a hollow handle movable with respect to the casing, saiddevice comprising a tubular member slidably arranged in the hollowhandle and having a closed end, a stop on the inner side of the handle,a gasket arranged at the outer surface of said tubular member andadapted to abut against said stop, a plunger slidably movable in saidtubular member between two end positions and defining a first chamberwith said closed end of said tubular member, said first chamber having asmall hole arranged in th wall of said closed end of said tubularmember, a second chamber arranged in the handle and communicating withsaid first chamber through said hole, said second chamber being limitedby said gasket and said closed end of said tubular member, the relativesize of said chambers depending on the positions of said tubular memberin the handle and said plunger in said tubular member, a substanceconsisting of small particles and arranged in said chambers and adaptedto retard the change of the relative size of said chambers in responseto the fiow of said substance through said hole, a spring-loaded boltarranged for displacement in the end of said plunger turned away fromsaid first chamber, a protective member for the firing pin, a recess insaid protective member for engagement with said bolt in one of the endpositions of said plunger, a cavity in said protective member, a triggerconnected to the firing pin and having a slot, an expansion washeradapted to hold said slot of said trigger when said washer is confined isaid cavity of said protective member, and a spring-loaded press buttonarranged in a fixed position on the handle and adapted to engage anopening being in a fixed position with respect to said tubular member.

RODOLFO B. GIORGI. ERNESTO KLEIN.

FEDERICO UNKEL. ALBERTO J GIORGI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,311,740 Asbury July 29, 1919 1,319,103 Miller Oct. 21, 1919FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 121,273 Great Britain Sept. 29, 1919

